Costa Rica ran on 100% green energy for 300 days in 2017

This Central American country has been running its power generators without burning a single fossil fuel

Costa Rica has generated 99.62 percent of its electricity from renewable sources and is expected to continue along this path until the first quarter of 2018.

This is not the first time that Costa Rica has managed this feat. In 2015, the country, the country’s electric power needs were derived 100% from renewable sources for 299 days. The following year, for a consecutive 110 days, the country powered its needs using green energy. And it’s mostly thanks to heavy rains and geothermal energy. Water is Costa Rica’s largest source of renewable energy.

According to the press release from the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE), the nation of five million people has recorded a stunning 201 consecutive days of total renewable energy production since May 1, 2017.

Costa Rica currently generates more than 99 per cent of its electricity using five different renewable sources; hydropower (78%), wind (10%), geothermal energy (10%), biomass (1%) and solar (1%).

Costa Rica is not the only country in the world setting the way forward for green energy usage in a bid to combat global warming.

Bonaire, a Dutch island territory off the coast of Venezuela, relies completely on renewable sources of energy. The island is home to 12 wind turbines that contribute up to 90% of the island's electricity at times of peak wind, and 40-45% of its annual electricity on average. The country is now looking to develop bio-fuel from locally found algae resources, grown in large salt flats to fuel five existing diesel generators, which act as a back-up energy source.

Iceland already gets all of its electricity from renewable energy sources, and about 85% of all its energy is produced by geothermal and hydropower sources. Denmark gets 40% of its energy from wind.

The only drawback with operating completely on green energy is that fossil fuels are still needed as back-up in case nature fails. Water is Costa Rica's largest source of renewable energy. But if the country experiences a drought, it could pose trouble. The country’s government has recently approved funding for creating a geothermal project amounting to $958 million.